It’s Vaccine Season – When and Where Should You Get Them?
It’s that time again: the season of pumpkin spice, football, and a line-up of viruses just waiting to crash your plans. So, let’s talk about this year’s vaccinations, what’s new, what’s not, and what you really need to know to stay healthy and keep those around you healthy too.
At Amaze, we get a lot of questions about vaccines at this time of year. Usually, the questions are pretty straightforward: Which vaccines do I need? When should I get them? Can I get them all at once? This year, we need to add another one: Will my insurance pay for it?
For years, federal vaccine recommendations helped create a generally predictable path from recommendation to insurance coverage. This year, changes in federal recommendations, FDA approvals, and guidance from major medical organizations have made that path considerably less tidy, particularly for COVID vaccination.
That doesn’t mean your vaccines won’t be covered. In fact, many insurers continue to cover recommended vaccines with no out-of-pocket cost. But coverage can vary by vaccine, age, medical history, insurance plan, and where you get the shot. Medicare also has its own coverage rules.
So, this year, add one small step before you make your appointment: check with your insurance plan and make sure the pharmacy, clinic, or provider you plan to use is in network. A two-minute phone call is preferable to discovering at the pharmacy counter that your “free” vaccine is not free there.
Now, on to the easier question: Which vaccines should you consider, and what is new this year?
Flu Shot
For all the turmoil surrounding vaccine recommendations lately, the flu shot remains refreshingly uncomplicated.
The CDC’s current guidance continues to recommend an annual flu vaccine for virtually everyone 6 months and older, and September and October remain the preferred months for most people to get vaccinated. If you miss that window, however, don’t decide you’ve missed flu season. Vaccination is still worthwhile as long as flu viruses are circulating.
And this year’s vaccine has been completely reformulated. All three components of the 2026–27 flu vaccine were changed from last year’s formulation, including an update aimed at the H3N2 subclade K virus that circulated widely last season.
Scientists have to anticipate months in advance which strains will circulate, so effectiveness varies from year to year. But vaccination reduces your risk of getting influenza and, importantly, reduces the risk of serious illness, hospitalization, and death if you do get it.
If you’ve ever had a truly miserable case of influenza, you know that preventing death is not necessarily the only selling point. Preventing several days of wondering whether you will ever feel normal again has value too.
Key takeaway: The flu shot is still your best annual defense. For most people, September or October is ideal but later is considerably better than never.
COVID-19 Vaccine
And now we arrive at the complicated one.
There is a new COVID vaccine for 2026–27. The FDA asked manufacturers to update this year’s vaccines to target XFG, a strain that more closely resembles currently circulating SARS-CoV-2 viruses. Pfizer’s Comirnaty, Moderna’s Spikevax and mNexspike, and the protein-based Nuvaxovid all have updated formulations.
What has changed is who officially falls under the broad FDA-approved indication.
The updated vaccines are approved for everyone age 65 and older and for younger people who have at least one underlying condition that puts them at increased risk for severe COVID. The precise lower age varies by vaccine. Comirnaty is approved for high-risk people beginning at age 5, Spikevax at 6 months, and mNexspike and Nuvaxovid at age 12.
That doesn’t mean everyone else suddenly stopped benefiting from vaccination. Major medical organizations have issued recommendations that are in some cases broader than the federal framework. It does mean that COVID vaccination has moved away from the simple “everybody get your annual booster” message we had a few years ago.
Age, underlying health conditions, pregnancy, previous vaccination, and previous COVID infections can all affect the calculation. Older adults and people at increased risk of severe COVID generally have the most to gain from vaccination.
Key takeaway: There is a new COVID vaccine, but there is no longer one simple answer for everyone. If you’re 65 or older or have health conditions that increase your risk, vaccination deserves serious consideration. For everyone else, this is a good year to discuss your individual risk with your healthcare provider.
And because the coverage landscape is less predictable this year, check with your insurance company before you go and make sure you use an in-network vaccination site.
RSV Vaccine
RSV vaccination is another area where the options have expanded, although the recommendation itself is fairly simple.
There are now three RSV vaccines for adults, and the CDC recommends one dose for everyone 75 and older and for adults 50 through 74 who are at increased risk for severe RSV disease.
Risk factors include chronic heart or lung disease, weakened immunity, and certain other medical conditions. Your healthcare provider can help determine whether you fall into that group.
And here’s something people understandably get confused about: The RSV vaccine is not currently an annual vaccine. If you already received one, you don’t need another one this year. For people who qualify and haven’t received it, late summer, and early fall, generally August through October, is an ideal time.
Pregnancy is a separate category. Pfizer’s Abrysvo is used during weeks 32 through 36 of pregnancy during RSV season to help protect the baby during those vulnerable first months of life.
Key takeaway: If you’re 75+, the recommendation is straightforward – get the vaccine if you haven’t already. If you’re 50–74 and have health conditions that put you at higher risk, talk with your provider. And if you already got your RSV shot, you’re done for now.
Pneumococcal Vaccine
Here’s a change that may surprise a lot of people: The recommended age for routine adult pneumococcal vaccination has dropped from 65 to 50. This is a shocker from a CDC that has become more conservative about recommending vaccines.
The CDC now recommends pneumococcal vaccination for adults 50 and older who haven’t previously received a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine or whose vaccination history is unknown. Adults 19–49 with certain medical conditions may also qualify.
There are several different vaccines with names like PCV20, PCV21, and PCV15 which makes this one particularly worth discussing with your medical provider rather than trying to decipher the alphabet soup yourself.
If you receive PCV20 or PCV21, you generally don’t need an additional pneumococcal vaccine. If PCV15 is used, it is generally followed by PPSV23. And if you’ve previously had one or more pneumococcal vaccines, what you need next, if anything, depends on which vaccine you received and when.
Key takeaway: If you’re 50 or older and don’t remember ever discussing a pneumococcal vaccine, now is the time to ask.
Can You Get More Than One Vaccine at a Time?
Generally, yes. Flu, COVID, and RSV vaccines can be given during the same visit when appropriate. Your immune system is perfectly capable of responding to multiple vaccines at once. You may, however, decide that two sore arms and a day of feeling achy is not how you’d like to spend your Saturday.
There are situations where your provider may suggest different timing based on your health history, previous reactions, or the particular vaccines you need. But for most people, spacing vaccines is more a matter of comfort and convenience than concern about overwhelming the immune system. The CDC specifically permits RSV vaccination alongside other adult vaccines.
Side Effects: Still Mild, Still Manageable
Expect the usual suspects: a sore arm, fatigue, headache, muscle aches, and sometimes a low fever for a day or two.
Those symptoms are signs that your immune system has been activated, but their intensity doesn’t tell you how much protection you’re developing. Feeling lousy after a vaccine doesn’t mean it “worked better,” and feeling perfectly fine doesn’t mean it didn’t work.
The Bottom Line on 2026 Vaccines
This year’s vaccine season requires a little more homework than usual.
- The flu recommendation remains simple. Get one and if you are between 50-64, you might want to look into the mRNA version.
- RSV depends primarily on age and risk. If you are older than 75, the RSV vaccine is a good idea.
- Pneumococcal vaccination now begins routinely at age 50.
- The COVID vaccination has become more complicated, with federal approvals and recommendations no longer providing the same blanket guidance they once did.
None of that changes the fundamental purpose of vaccination: reducing your chances of getting seriously ill from infections we know will be circulating this fall and winter.
So, talk with your healthcare provider about what makes sense for you. And this year, before you head to the pharmacy, check with your insurance plan and make sure you’re going somewhere in network.
Getting a shot is annoying enough. Getting a bill for one you thought was covered is worse.
